Jae Tips Debuts His Newest Saucony Collaboraton: ‘I Love You but I’m Busy’
Since launching the 2023 FNAA Collaboration of the Year-winning Saucony Grid Azura 2000 in May ’23, designer Jae Tips has continued to ramp up his output with three follow-up collabs: November ’23’s “What’s the Occasion?” Grid Shadow 2, September 2024’s “To Do List” ProGrid Omni 9 and most recently, December’s “No Shoes in the House” Matrix. And Wednesday, while in attendance for Paris Fashion Week, the Savior Worldwide founder debuted his latest project with the Massachusetts-based athletic footwear brand.
Taking to his Instagram account early Wednesday morning, Jae Tips shared a first look at the new sneaker, which is in contention for his most vibrant footwear design yet. The new shoe uses Saucony’s Grid Jazz 9 model as its base, covering the sneaker in a predominantly pink shade that is accented with blue, yellow and orange in a mix of materials including mesh and suede.
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Keeping with his execution of personal themes, the collaboration features a “I Love You but I’m Busy” theme, a message which is delivered via embroidered text at the heels. Like Jae Tips’ other projects, there’s likely a more in-depth backstory revealed as the collaboration’s rollout progresses.
Wednesday on X, Jae Tips compared his Saucony collaborations to his popular New Era hat designs, which predated his sneaker success.
“If you followed me as a hat designer you’ll always be able to predict my next colorways I been telling a full circle story for a long time,” Jae Tips wrote.
Like his caps, the FNAA honoree’s sneaker output has been focused on the use of color. In a footwear era that favors neutral earth tones, Jae Tips’ multicolor palette has allowed him to stand out from many of the more drab looks that dominate the current trend cycle.
While it looks as though it could have been part of Saucony’s 2000s sneaker output, the Grid Jazz 9 is actually a newer release that has been designed to combine a retro aesthetic with modernized technology. Standard versions of the sneaker retail for $120.
Despite the teaser, a release date and pricing for the Jae Tips x Saucony Grid Jazz 9 “I Love You but I’m Busy” has not been announced, but the designer confirmed that the project is “coming soon.”
